2020 Forever Five-Year Plan

Summary of Recommendations and Status as of December 2019

Dickerson Bay/Bald Point

Division of State Lands Florida Department of Environmental Protection

As approved by the Board of Trustees Internal Improvement Trust Fund May 2020 2020 Florida Forever Five-Year Plan Report

Dickerson Bay/Bald Point Franklin, Wakulla Climate Change Lands

Project-at-a-Glance Placed on List 1996 Project Area 25,440 Acres Acquired 5,820 at a Cost of $9,424,365 Acres Remaining 19,620

Propose for State Acquisition On the coast of Wakulla and Franklin Counties, the shallow Gulf of Mexico laps against the westernmost Big Bend salt marshes and the easternmost white sand beaches of the Panhandle. The St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge already protects much of this coast; the Dickerson Bay/Bald Point project will protect more including areas critical to the survival of the endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle. In so doing, it will also protect the fishery in the area by protecting its foundation - rich mud flats and seagrass beds - and will add land to Mashes Sands County Park where people may enjoy the beauty of this little-disturbed coast.

Manager(s) The Division of and Parks (DRP), Florida Department of Environmental Protection will manage that portion of the project in Franklin County; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Wakulla County will separately manage individual parcels in Wakulla County.

General Description The project, comprising three separate areas, includes uplands around Dickerson, Levy, and Ochlockonee Bays. These bays provide foraging habitat for juvenile Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, the world’s most endangered sea turtle, and other state or globally rare birds (e.g., wood stork, bald eagle) and sea turtles (e.g., loggerhead). The uplands surrounding the three bays are an intricate mosaic of lakes, depression marshes, mesic flatwoods (high quality to disturbed) that support populations of such rare animals as Sherman’s fox squirrel and gopher tortoise, scrubby flatwoods, and scrub connected with the marine communities by numerous tidal creeks, salt flats, and salt marshes. The Bald Point site includes beach

2020 Florida Forever Five-Year Plan Report Page 219 of 889 2020 Florida Forever Five-Year Plan Report dunes used by many species of shore birds. The condition of these uplands might be expected to play a larger role in maintaining the quality of the marine communities than would be the case with a straight shoreline. The natural upland communities adjoin similar communities in St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge to the north and west. Twelve archaeological sites are known from Bald Point. The Bald Point site is threatened by development.

FNAI Element Occurrence Summary 2019 FNAI Element Score Kemp's Ridley G1/S1 Green Sea Turtle G3/S2S3 Gopher Tortoise G3/S3 Loggerhead Sea Turtle G3/S3 Swallow-tailed Kite G5/S2 Florida Black Bear G5T4/S4 Lobeless Spiny Burrowing Beetle G1G2/S1S2 Godfrey's blazing star G2/S2 Sculptured Pigtoe G3/S2S3 zigzag silkgrass G3/S3 Gulf Coast lupine G3T3/S3 Scott's Seaside Sparrow G4T3Q/S3 23 rare species are associated with the project

Source: Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI, January 2020)

Public Use The southern part of this project (i.e., Bald Point and southern Dickerson Bay) is designated for use as a state park that will augment the recreational opportunities of the adjacent Mashes Sands County Park with areas for picnicking, hiking, camping, and canoeing. The beaches of Bald Point are suitable for swimming and other activities. The northern part of this project will be incorporated into the St. Marks Wildlife Refuge. This portion is suitable for boating. With a 17,041-acre addition in 2016, there is interest by the FFS and DEP’s Division of Recreation and Parks.

Acquisition Planning 1996 Dickerson Bay: Larger ownerships should be negotiated before the smaller ones. The essential parcels are McMillan, Brunstad, Nichols, JDN Enterprises, Meara, Cobleigh, Panacea Coastal Properties and Metcalf. Piney Island, also an essential parcel, was donated to the USFWS in 1996. Bald Point: All parcels are essential. The LGR Investment Fund, LTD. has been acquired.

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1998 On October 15, 1998, the LAMAC designated the Jer Be Lou Development Co. parcel as essential. The parcel has been acquired. Initial acquisition started in 1999 with funds from the CARL/P2000 acquisition program along Apalachee Bay. 1999 On August 30, 1999, the Board of Trustees purchased 1,349 acres in Franklin County from the Trust for Public Land which later became the Bald Point State Park. ‘ 2003 In 2003, the park was expanded when 3,485 acres were purchased from the St. Joe Company. 2006 As of January 2006, the park contained 4,859 acres, and is jointly administered with the State Park. 2011 On September 6, 2011, DRP purchased to manage .77 acres (Kennedy-$67,500).

On December 9, 2011, ARC placed this project in the Climate Change Lands category. 2016 In October 2016, ARC approved the Bluffs of St. Teresa project and immediately amended that project into the Dickerson Bay/Bald Point project. This added 17,041 acres adjacent to Bald Point State Park, across the Ochlockonee River from the Ochlockonee River State Park, and adjacent to the Tate’s Hell State Forest. If acquired, different portions of this land could be managed by the Florida Forest Service (FFS) as part of Tate’s Hell and by the Division of Recreation and Parks (DRP) as part of Bald Point. Access to Ochlockonee Bay, Alligator Harbor (Aquatic Preserve), and several of the ponds provide opportunities for paddling and fishing. The extensive network of woods roads can easily accommodate hiking, biking, and nature study. The extensive frontage on U.S. highways expands the possibilities for siting of a campground and visitor center. The property’s large size also makes hunting feasible.

Coordination The USFWS is an acquisition partner, and coordination between the state and federal government should be maintained. On August 27, 1998, a portion of the Bald Point project was selected to receive Florida Communities Trust grant money.

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Management Policy Statement The primary objectives of management of the Dickerson Bay/Bald Point project are to maintain and restore the natural communities around Dickerson and Levy Bays and to give the public an area for hiking, fishing, camping, and other recreation compatible with protection of the natural resources. Protecting the natural communities of the area is critical to the survival of the endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle and will also help protect habitat for wading birds and shore birds. It will also help protect a recreational and commercial fishery that depends on the marine life of the bays. The project should be managed under the single-use concept: management activities should be directed toward the preservation of the salt marshes, flatwoods, and other communities around the bays. Consumptive uses such as hunting or logging should not be permitted. Managers should control public access to the project; limit public motor vehicles to one or a few main roads; thoroughly inventory the resources; burn the fire-dependent flatwoods in a pattern mimicking natural lightning-season fires, using natural firebreaks or existing roads for control; and monitor management activities to ensure that they are actually maintaining or improving the quality of the natural communities. Managers should limit the number and size of recreational facilities, such as hiking , ensure that they avoid the most sensitive resources, and site them in already disturbed areas when possible.

The project includes nearly all of the undeveloped, privately-owned land along Dickerson and Levy Bays and adjoins the Mashes Sands county park on its southeast border. It therefore has the configuration and location to achieve its primary objectives.

Management Prospectus Qualifications for state designation The large south parcel of the Dickerson Bay portion of the project has the capacity to provide an effective buffer for the protection of the marine communities of Levy and Dickerson Bays. The Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle frequents the waters of these bays. The parcel is also capable of providing resource based recreational opportunities, particularly in support of the adjacent county park at Mashes Island.

For these reasons, the property would be suitable as a state park within the state park system. Manager In Franklin County, the Division of Recreation and Parks and the Florida Forest Service. In Wakulla County, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Wakulla County. Conditions affecting intensity of management The property will be a high-need management area. Public recreational use and development compatible with resource management will be an integral aspect of management.

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Timetable for implementing management and provisions for security and protection of infrastructure Upon acquisition and assignment to the Division, public access will be provided for low intensity, non- facility related outdoor recreation activities. Also, management will concentrate on site security, fire management and developing a resource inventory and public use plan. Vehicle access by the public will be confined to designated points and routes. Protecting the adjacent marine environment will be a primary focus for the property. Over the long term, however, a wide range of resource-based recreation and environmental education facilities may be promoted. The nature, extent and location of infrastructure will be defined by the management plan for the property. Restoring and maintaining natural communities will be incorporated into long range management efforts and disturbed areas will be restored to conditions that would be expected to occur in natural systems, to the extent practical. Revenue-generating potential No significant revenue is expected to be generated from this property initially. After acquisition, it will probably be several years before any significant public facilities might be developed. The amount of any future revenue will depend on the nature and extent of public use in the management plan for the property. The property has potential for generating local economic benefits. The pine plantation that covers a large portion of the Bald Point project will be managed with the assistance of the Florida Forest Service (aka Division of Forestry/DOF) has considerable value and can be expected to provide significant revenue if acquired with the land. No other significant revenues would be expected over the short term after acquisition. The amount of future revenues from other than timber sales will depend on the nature and extent of public use and facilities developed. Cooperators in management activities Due to the potential for enhancement of the adjacent county park by this project area, coordination of management efforts may be desirable. On the Bald Point site, the FFS, will be consulted on forest management and timber issues related to planning and implementation of a forest resource management plan. Other federal, state, and local government agencies will be consulted, as appropriate, to further resource management, recreational and educational opportunities, and the development of the project lands for state park purposes.

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Project Map 62: Source → Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI, January 2020)

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